Stretcher, sick-bed, and the like



M.-LUNDBOM.'

STRETCHER, SICK BED, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented June 22, 1920.

M'. LUNDBOM.

STRETCHI ER, SICK BED, AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1918.

' 1,344,088. Patented June 22, 1920.

I v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Invenfor' 'pitals. possible to place and vided with means MATTIS LUNDBOM, or 63151230, SWEDEN.

STRETCHER, SICK-BED, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate ted J 22 1920;

Application filedseptember 11, 1918. Serial No. 253,655.

- To all whom it-may concern:

Be it-known that I, MA'rrIsLUNnnoM, a subject of the. King of Sweden, residing at ()rebro, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stretchers, Sick-Beds, and the like, 'of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates'to an improvement in stretchers, sick-beds and the like. 'One of the objectsof theinvention is to render it possible to use andto move the stretcher or bed directly different gages as used A further object is to render it to transport stretcher-s and beds of varying breadths and of otherwise diiferent constructions in ordinary hospital wagons, for instance motor ambulances, independently of the construction of the floor or the part of the wagon supporting the stretcher. Similar devices as heretofore used are often encumbered with the disadvantage that -stretchers or' beds which are not exactly dimensionedto suit, that is to say do not belong to the wagon, cannot be transported in the same. In the ordinary motor ambulances, for; instance, there is often a recess in the floor for storing various loose fixtures of the wagon,

C3 I and the stretcher is placed over this re TESS ivith its legs resting on the floorat each If another stretcher than the one dimensioned for use in the ambulance must be placed in the same, stretcher is very often narrower than the recess in the floor, and its legs can thus not gain support from the floor of the ambulance. This disadvantage isoftenencountered for instance when transferring stretchers or beds from railway ambulance carriages to motor ambulances. The said side of the recess.

disadvantage is avoided according to the present invention.

The present improvement consists mainly in this that the legs of the stretcher or the bed. are adjustable relatively to' thestretcher or bed toward and away from one another in the transverse direction of the stretcher or the bed. The legs may be adjustably secured directly to the stretcher or the bed, or they may be adjustably secured to a frame piece about corresponding to the width of the stretcher or the bed and profor being secured to the stretcher or the bed. By adjusting the distance between the legs they may thus be onrail tracks of" at present in hosthe maoeto suit the tracks in the hospitals, and by adjusting the legs so that the distance between the same becomes greater than the width of the recess in the floor of the motor ambulance the stretcher or the bed may thus be placed on the floor of the ambulance.

. In the accompanying drawing an embodimentof the invention is shown by way of example in which embodiment the legs are adjustably secured to a frame piece to be secured to the stretcher or the bed. figure 1 shows an end view of the device, Fig. 9

a plan View, and Fig. 3 a side view. Fig. 4 shows a detail of modification. i

Thedevice illustrated in the drawing co sists of a frame piece 1 which fits'the end ofan ordinary stretcher or sick-bed and may be secured to the same by means of straps 2 on the frame piece, two of said straps being shown in engagement with the sides and two being shown in engagement with the end of the frame of the stretcher .or the bed, which frame is indicated by dot and dash lines in the drawing. In the straps 2 engaging the end of the frame 3 there are provided pins 4 which secure the stretcher frame to, the. frame piece. .On the lower side of the frame. piece along its end, that is to say in the transverse direction of the stretcher, there are sliding arms 5 which are guided in sleeves 6 and are secured in their different positions by means of screws 7 secured to the frame. piece and projecting through elongated slots 8 in the arms 5. 'In the embodiment shown these arms are made in one piecewiththe legs 8. Betweenthe legs if stays 9 the,

and the frame piece there are lower ends of which are pivotally connected with sleeves 1O rotatable on the legs, and the upper ends of the stays are adjustably connected with the frame piece by means of screws 11 projecting through elongated'slots 12 in the stays.

The device above described is preferably stored, that is to say kept in readiness in every hospital, hospital wagon or motor ainbulance, and if the device is to be used it is only necessary to introduce the end of the stretcher or the bed into the straps 2 of the frame piece and to insert the pins 4 in their places, when the frame piece 1 is securely fastened to the stretcher. By loosening the wing-nuts 13 and 14 the arms 5 and the legs 8 may be freely adjusted so that the legs may be placed on the rail track in the hospital or on the floor of the ambulance on either side of the recess in the same; They are, of course, fixed in the adjusted position by tightening the nuts 13 and 14;. The legs 8 thus having been adjusted the legs of the stretcher or the bed may suitably be folded up, if they are foldable as is usually the case, or the legs 8 may be made so much longer than the legs or the stretcher or the bed that these latter do not in any case reach the floor when the stretcher is supported by the legs 8. These legs may preferably be made resilient as indicated in Fig. 1. The legs 8 are preferably provided with casters in order to facilitate the pushing-in of the stretcher on the floor of the wagon and the moving of the stretcher on the rail track in the hospital.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3 the device is adapted for stretcher frames made of tubes,

but the device may obviously also be attached to other bed frames, in which case the straps 2 are preferably made adjustable so as to be capable of adjustment for different thicknesses of the frames. Fig. 4 illustrates a strap 2 sliding up and down in a sleeve 15 secured to the frame piece 1 in which sleeve the strap may be secured by means of a set-screw l6.

F or supporting a stretcher or a bed it is in many cases 'suflicient to use only one frame piece as shown in the drawing, but it is obvious that two such frame pieces may also be used, one ateach end of the stretcher. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that these frame pieces may also be so connected that they form a single frame piece on which the stretcher or the bed may be placed, and further, that although in the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings the legs are adjustably secured to a frame piece to be fastened to the stretcher or bed, the invention is not limited to this construction, but that it is also possible in similar manner to secure the legs adjustably directly to the stretcher or the bed.

I claim: 1. The combination with a stretcher having a rigid frame of legs removably secured to said frame and adjustable relatively thereto toward and away from one another in the transverse direction of the stretcher.

2. In a stretcher, the combination of a stretcher frame, a frame piece about corresponding to the width of said "stretcher frame, means for securing said frame piece to said stretcher frame, members movable in the transverse direction of said stretcher frame along the portion of said frame piece corresponding to the end of said stretcher stretcher frame, means for locking said stretcher frame into said straps, members movable toward and away from one another in the transverse direction of said stretcher frame along the portion of said frame piece corresponding to the end of said stretcher frame, means on said frame piece for guiding said members, means for securing said members to said frame piece in adjusted positions, legs secured to said members, sleeves rotatable on said legs, stays hinged to said sleeves, and means for adjustablysecuring said stays to the portions of said frame piece corresponding to the sides of said stretcher frame.

4. In a stretcher, the combination of a stretcher frame, a frame piece about corresponding to the width of said stretcher frame, adjustable means for securing said frame piece to said stretcher frame, members movable in the transverse direction of said stretcher frame along the portion of said frame piece corresponding to the end of said stretcher frame, means on said frame piece for guiding said members, legs secured to said members, and stays between said legs and said frame iece.

MEKTTIS LUNDBOM. 

